SALT LAKE CITY (July 1, 2024) – On Monday, Gov. Spencer Cox appointed Laura Hanson to be his senior advisor of long-range planning. She will continue serving as managing director of planning coordination within the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget.
“Our forebears have always been forward thinking and the prosperity we enjoy today is in large part because of decisions wise Utah leaders made decades ago,” Cox said in a prepared statement. “We owe it to our kids and grandkids to have the same thoughtful approach to our future, and Laura is the best person to guide that process.”
Hanson joined the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget in 2021 as state planning coordinator. Prior to joining GOPB, she served as the planning director for the Utah Transit Authority and was the first executive director of the Jordan River Commission, raising over $30 million in investments in the Jordan River Parkway trail and river. She has also worked as a consultant specializing in long-range planning, strategic planning, small area/downtown revitalization projects, and environmental planning.
Hanson has bachelor’s degrees in urban planning and environmental studies, and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Utah. Post graduate certificates include public involvement, leadership, conflict resolution, and visual resource management. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards from the Quality Growth Commission, the Utah Chapters of the American Planning Association and American Society for Landscape Architects, and the American Society for Public Administration.
“Utah is experiencing big changes including population growth, demographic shifts, housing shortages, water uncertainty, etc.,” Hanson said. “Opportunities like the Olympics and major redevelopment projects may bring even bigger changes. I look forward to working with a broad spectrum of stakeholders to ensure that our long-range planning efforts, major investments, and policy initiatives help us achieve the kind of future that Utahns want.”
